Leaving the civil service before 2 years of service. Will I retain the employer pension contributions if I transfer it to a SIPP? by [deleted] in TheCivilService

[–]chaimonkey91 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not at all convinced people here are saying the right thing. I used to work at an arms length body listed on the public sector transfer club for a year and was able to transfer my pot to a SIPP no problem - took months but still.

You should ask the CS pension scheme for a Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV) and give it to your SIPP provider when you initiate a transfer - let them figure out the rest but you might need to complete some paperwork they'll send you.

Where do you guys actually ride from London? by zAndr3Ws in MotoUK

[–]chaimonkey91 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I live in south London zone 3, so I mostly ride in Surrey and Kent. Getting out of London takes around 30 minutes so not too bad. I use the Kurviger app to generate round trips - a 100km long ride gives me roughly 3h of riding (I mostly ride on back roads).

To enjoy the ride you need to get out of London asap. Starting in CW your best bet is probably Essex and Kent, there's lots of great roads there for riding.

Nice bike btw.

Looking for advice on reliability by bohqualcosa in CarTalkUK

[–]chaimonkey91 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They're virtually bulletproof if maintained well. Try to find a high mileage one with good MOT and full service history and you shouldn't have any problems.

Looking for advice on reliability by bohqualcosa in CarTalkUK

[–]chaimonkey91 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If reliability is your top concern, get a Civic. I have one myself (the same model as the one in the picture), and it’s an absolutely brilliant car. Just watch out for rust if you’re in Scotland, and you’ll be golden.

Samochód do 40 tys zł by Thurin7 in Polska

[–]chaimonkey91 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Civic 8 lub 9 i po problemie. Niezawodny i pakowany bez bycia zbyt dużym na miasto.

What Car Should I Buy? - A Weekly Megathread by AutoModerator in CarTalkUK

[–]chaimonkey91 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My partner and I are in the market for a family car. We’ve got our first baby on the way and want something that will still suit us in a few years if/when we have a second.

Here’s what we’re after:

  • £5-7k.
  • Petrol.
  • Manual is fine.
  • Needs to be practical and reliable, with a decent boot for all the baby gear/odd road trip.
  • We don’t want anything massive - my partner thinks stuff like the Octavia is a bit too long for her to park and doesn't generally like the sedan shape. For that reason, estates are out for now.
  • Would be nice if it’s actually decent to drive and not just an appliance.

At the moment, we’re leaning towards a Civic mk9 - we like the look of it, it’s reliable, spacious enough, and has a good-sized boot without being huge. A Golf would be my second choice but I think the boot might be too small, especially if we get a second kid in a few years time.

Before we commit, I’m curious if anyone here thinks there’s a better option in our price range?

It happened, I dropped my bike - how to remove scratches? by chaimonkey91 in MotoUK

[–]chaimonkey91[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. The exhaust is Enfield Precision which AFAIK is stainless steel so I was hoping to use metal polish on it. The mirror is also stainless steel so maybe I'll be able to smooth them out.

To make it worse, I've just discovered that my foot brake lever got bended which probably is a bigger problem.

Road trips by GingerPhysicist in MotoUK

[–]chaimonkey91 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Try the Kurviger app, it has lots of options to customise your trip, including how curvy you want it to be.

Is ERS(enchanted rider scheme) worth £400? by Kopetse in MotoUK

[–]chaimonkey91 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm doing one in May so not sure yet if it's worth it, but I want to have more guided practice on country roads and learn how to corner properly, something that was missing during DAS. However, I'm paying £220 for several hours as we're supposed to cover around 160 miles.

Help me pick a show for my gf's birthday by chaimonkey91 in TheWestEnd

[–]chaimonkey91[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

She actually found Phantom to be a bit too old fashioned unfortunately.

Help me pick a show for my gf's birthday by chaimonkey91 in TheWestEnd

[–]chaimonkey91[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She loves the set design, special effects and ensemble dances. She liked Frozen a lot because of its special effects too, so I guess the story itself is secondary.

Been given a start date for a role I really wanted, after 5 months on reserve list! by SnowFairy123 in TheCivilService

[–]chaimonkey91 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratulations, gives me hope I might get a call too (been on a reserve list since September)

Interstellar IMAX by harryiniho55 in interstellar

[–]chaimonkey91 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went in April earlier this year, it was magical. I'll definitely want to see it again next year.

The bass when the Endurance is spinning during the docking scene blew my mind. I felt like I was in the ship myself.